I’m commonly asked questions when I travel around India.
"Where are you from, Auntie?"
"Canada," I say.
"What is your good name, Auntie?"
"Trula," I say. "It means true love," and I smile wondering what my bad name could be.
"Are you married, Auntie?"
"No," I say.
A puzzled, “Oh!" is her reply.
"Do you have children, Auntie?"
"Yes, one," I say.
"Only one? I have 6 brothers and sisters."
"How old are you, Auntie?"
"55," I say.
"Wow!! You are the same age as my Mother."
"Are you alone, Auntie?"
"Yes, I'm alone but, I’m never all by myself if that’s what you meant. You know the word alone is spelled A L... O N E which really means that I am All One with everyone. Besides, it is impossible to be all by myself or lonely when there’s over 1.2 billion people to meet."
My curious new friend flashes me her brightest smile, her eyes looked directly into mine and her head wobbles with great pride and knowing.
“Yes, that is true, Auntie, very true. But, I could never travel without my entire family. I would feel too lonely”.
People are bounded together by family values and community. Strangely, this chaotic, confusing, crazy-coloured and at times discouraging country makes me more reflective about disconnected families and communities back home.
India is very old and complicated. With more than two thousand ethnic groups, combined with every major religion and four major families of languages, "Unity in Diversity" is the main essence of Indian culture.
I go to India specifically with the intention to have my perceptions of life and humanity challenged. My blinded-by-western-privilege mind arrogantly struggles to make definition with what it already knows.
From city, to town, to village: each can be remarkably distinct. Every change in direction compels me to be more curious, more adaptable, more accepting and more receptive to the moment. I am moved to be so much more.
Did you know that India has a young population and, unlike the western world, it's getting younger? It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years.
The biggest difference with this generation of young women is that they are asking why things are the way they are. Despite a suffocating patriarchal shadow that hangs over the lives of women throughout India, women's empowerment is taking new shape. There is an extraordinary and inescapable infusing of empowerment that is transferred to me by the unwavering fortitude in Indian women.
I have been fortunate to encounter many generous, gracious, graceful, proud, hardworking, fierce, devoted, dutiful and persistent women.
"Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilities. Every human will has the power to transform its fate. I’d always thought that fate was something unchangeable: fixed for every one of us at birth, and as constant as the circuit of stars. But I suddenly realised that life is stranger and more beautiful than that. The truth is that no matter what kind of game you find yourself in, no matter how good or bad the luck, you can change your life completely with a single thought or a single act of love."
"For this is what we do. Put one foot forward and then another. Lift our eyes to the snarl and smile of the world once more. Think, Act, Feel, Add our little consequence to the tides of good and evil that flood and drain the world. Drag our shadowed crosses into the hope of another night. Push brave hearts into the promise of a new day. With love: the passionate search for a truth other than our own. With longing: the pure, ineffable yearning to be saved. For so long as fate keeps waiting, we live on. God help us. God forgive us. We live on."
Quotes ~ Gregory David Roberts ~ Shantram
Music - Uma Mohen - The Divine Chants of Rudra
I was asked to present a 5 min. video about the empowered women in India. This video was written, imaged and created by me while learning to work with the video editor Adobe Premiere Pro. I want to share my experiences traveling in India and meeting amazing women along the way.
The Empowering Women of India
